A Pearlshipping Valentine Carol
by PokemonFreak90
Summary: A Pokemon pearlshipping version of "A Christmas Carol." Ash just doesn't care about things like love and romance. So on the eve of Valentine's Day, he is visited by three pokemon. Will Ash change his ways and see what he has been missing all this time?
1. Ash Doesn't Care

**Author's Note: This is a non-profit fan-based story. Pokemon and all other rights are reserved to their own respective owners. I gain nothing from writing this...except maybe the praise of the readers, if there is any. (There have been quite a few Pokemon trolls going around on Fanfiction recently.) So if you don't like my story, then I'll just remove it. Easy as that.**

**Special thanks to Javanos. He helped me write this story.**

It was a cold, dark February night in Pallet Town, Kanto. A thin layer of snow covered the ground making everything white. But this wasn't just any ordinary February night, it was Friday, the thirteenth day of the month; the night before Valentine's Day.

Taking some time off from their journeys, Ash and all of his friends were spending a few weeks visiting in Pallet Town. Everyone felt great, getting to see each other again. Everyone was much older now, too. Ash and Gary were 18, May was 17, Dawn was 16, and Misty and Tracy were both 19. We begin our story in Ash's house where he and his five friends are talking, catching up, enjoying themselves, and everybody is excited for tomorrow...everybody that is, except for Ash.

"So Ash," Gary said to his friend, "Are you excited for tomorrow?"

"No." Ash said plainly and matter-of-factly.

Trying to lighten the mood of his friend, Gary tried to have some fun and joke around with Ash a bit. This was nothing new, as Gary was known for making jokes to get under Ash's skin. "Why not? Did a girl dump you?"

"I just don't see the point of Valentine's Day. For me, anyway." Ash replied. Now, over his years of traveling, Ash's denseness about things like love had lessened, but romance was still the farthest thing from his mind. Like always, ever since he first started his journey, his mind had been focused solely on his Pokemon and training them.

"I just don't have time for things like love. I'm getting ready to challenge the Elite Four. If I beat them, I become the region's champion. Besides, I'm still young. I'll have plenty of time for that later. And if not, no big loss." May noticed that Dawn tensed up when Ash said this.

"So it's never even crossed your mind, not once?" Tracey asked in disbelief. "What about all the girls you've met throughout your Pokemon journey?"

Ash went on to explain to them that he was too young to understand love at the time, and judging by the way he felt today, he probably wouldn't have "loved" them, anyway. Besides, he figured that they had already found someone else by now after these years, so no big loss for any of them.

Hearing this, Dawn bit her lip as it threatened to quiver. "'_Wouldn't have loved me, anyway?_'" Dawn thought to herself.

"In short," Ash concluded, "If you guys like Valentine's Day, and have someone to celebrate it with, that's fine. But I don't care for it. I don't plan on falling in love. And frankly, I don't care about "loving" someone. So if I never have someone like that, it's no big loss."

Hearing Ash say that, Dawn couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and quickly walked away. When Ash called out, asking where she was going, she replied that she had to use the bathroom. The minute she was upstairs and in the bathroom, she locked the door and fell to the floor, breaking out into tears.

As she went into the bathroom, she passed Ash's mom, Delia, who was going to head downstairs. But when she noticed Dawn - who looked very upset - go into the bathroom, she knew something was wrong and she had to help. As Delia listened from behind the closed bathroom door, she heard a soft crying sound coming from Dawn. She gently knocked at the door asking Dawn if she could talk to her. After a few minutes, Dawn opened the door and Delia gave her a comforting hug, which Dawn returned.

"What's wrong?" Delia asked. "Do you want to talk about it?" When Dawn nodded a "yes", Delia suggested that the two of them go into her room for some privacy while they talk. Once inside, Dawn explained everything that Ash had said to her and the others. When Dawn had finished, Delia explained some things to her.

"I can't help that, nobody can. That's the way Ash has always been." she said to Dawn. "Ever since he was a kid, he's always had a one-track mind focused on Pokemon. Love currently isn't something on his mind. I know that you love him, and somewhere inside his heart, I know he loves you, too."

"How do you know that?" Dawn asked.

"Every time Ash tells me stories about the time he traveled across Sinnoh with you, he always has a look of happiness in his eyes. He talks about those journeys more than any of his others, and he always says that he's amazed about the moves you use in your contests and how they helped him become a better battler. Just give him some time, and I know it'll all work out. He'll come around eventually."

"Thanks, Delia." Dawn said, hugging her. "I feel a little better now."

Meanwhile, the remaining people in the house were still sitting on the couches, continuing the conversation, with everyone except Ash trying to hide the sad look on their faces that had appeared due to the things Ash had said, and Dawn's reaction to them.

"You know what, Ash?" said May. "Some people that fall in love are just too stubborn to admit it. Others don't even realize they're in love." Everybody could see that May was trying to turn things around. "I know that something will change your mind some day. I don't when or how or what it'll be, but it WILL happen!" she said confidently.

"I seriously doubt that, May." he replied.

None of them knew it, but they were being watched and heard by three Pokemon outside the window, who had heard the entire conversation.

* * *

><p>Eventually, it got late and everybody had to go to sleep. Ash had a small house, so most people had to stay at the lab with Gary and Tracey. Dawn slept in the lone guestroom in Ash's house. Pikachu slept down on the couch with Piplup.<p>

As Ash walked into his room to turn in for the night, he couldn't help but remember the conversation he had that night. Trying not to rule anything out and keep an open mind, he thought about the girls he had known and which one of them he had the closest relationship with, which had come the closest to being actual "love." The one he kept coming back to...was Dawn. His feelings were pulling him left and right concerning him where their relationship stood.

He could say that he cared for her. She was a great friend, the closest friend out of all the girls he had met or traveled with throughout his journey. But was that love?

On the other hand, the things he had said that night to everybody were pretty legitimate points, too. Maybe he was right in thinking she didn't love him. It had been years since they had traveled together, and she probably already found someone else to love.

Ash decided that some sleep would clear his head. Little did he know that tonight would be the most restless, moving, revealing, and strangest night of his life!

**Author's Note: And there's chapter one. I got this idea after reading a similar story on FF, so I decided to do a Pokemon version.**

**I know it's short, but all the chapters will be pretty short in this story. Fortunately, I will be uploading one chapter a day, with the last one coming on Valentine's Day. Let me know what you think of it.**


	2. The Warning

Ash walked into his room, closing the door behind him...except it didn't stay closed. As soon as he turned his back, the door flew open again all on it's own! Confused, Ash closed it again, only to see it fly open again! By now, Ash knew something very weird was going on. He assumed that someone was closing the door on him, playing a joke or something.

"Okay, very funny." Ash said. "Whoever's doing that can come out now." But Ash got no reply. He looked out his doorway into the hall and found nobody. Now Ash was even more confused. "I must be seeing things." he said to himself. "I think the stress is causing me to hallucinate." Ash reached for the doorknob but before he could grab it, the door swung shut right in his face! Ash was starting to get really freaked out now.

"Okay," Ash said to himself, "It's official. I've been training way too hard. The stress is really starting to go to my head." Ash changed into his pyjamas, turned off his light, and quickly got in bed, hoping that everything would be better in the morning.

He had closed his eyes for no more than five minutes, and wasn't even asleep yet, when he suddenly felt very cold. He sat up, opened his eyes, and looked around at what was causing the sudden drop in temperature "_That's strange. I know it's winter, but the windows are closed. Maybe the heating is broken. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to live with it for tonight._" he thought.

But then he heard a very low, dark, chuckle coming from somewhere in the room. Ash looked around but couldn't find anyone else. Ash began to feel a sense of fear coming onto him as the chuckle grew to a laugh and the sound came closer and closer until...it stopped. Ash was about to lay back down on his bed as he wondered what in the world just happened, when he suddenly came face to face with a pair of big eyes and a wide sinister smile that appeared out of thin air right in front of him!

"BOO!" The face said, causing Ash to scream in fright and fall right out of bed, hurting his leg as he did. As Ash got back up, the face revealed the rest of its body, showing that it was a Gengar, a Ghost Pokemon. The Gengar was laughing at the spooky joke it had played on Ash.

"Oh, you should've seen the look on your face!" it said as its laughter subsided - although it wasn't speaking directly, it was only just using telepathy.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny." Ash said sarcastically as he got back up off of the floor. "So the chill in the air, the evil laughter, the door slamming shut, that was all your doing?"

"Yep, and it worked great. I love playing spooky jokes on unsuspecting people."

"You do know that you made me hurt my leg in the process?"

"Oops, sorry about that. But seriously, all jokes aside, there IS a very important reason about why I came here to see you tonight."

"And what might that be?"

"I've come here to warn you."

"Warn me? About what?"

"You are blocking love from entering your heart. I know you are in love with Dawn but you refuse to admit it because you are too dense to realize it. So you will be visited by three other Pokemon tonight to show you what you were missing and you will be given a chance to change your ways. You will see that you ARE capable of loving someone and that Dawn Berlitz is the one you love."

"Oh please, not this again. I already have enough on my mind about that subject right now."

"Well then, consider this night a chance to put your mind at ease."

"Whatever, please just leave me alone." Ash said, climbing back into bed.

"Very well." said Gengar, as he began to disappear. "My job here is done. But for your sake, I hope this works, or else your future won't be a pleasant one...nor will hers."

**Author's Note: Short chapter? Yeah, but as I promised, they will be released daily so stay tuned for Ash's three mysterious Pokemon visitors.**


	3. The Past

Ash had only been sleeping for an hour when he was suddenly shaken by a pair of very small hands. As he opened his eyes and yawned, he saw that the thing that was shaking him was Celebi, the Legendary Grass Pokemon.

Ash quickly put two and two together and realized that Celebi must have been one of the Pokemon which was foretold by Gengar. "Are you one of the three Pokemon that Gengar mentioned?"

"I am." said the Pokemon. "I have been granted special powers for this meeting. Powers given by the master of time itself, Dialga. I have the ability to travel through time on my own, but now I can bring along others as well. Those powers have also given me the ability to speak with you and for you to be able to understand me. The other two Pokemon, who you will later meet, have these powers, too. I have come here to take you with me on a journey to the past."

Celebi then began to glow and opened a portal in the middle of the room. "Come with me, there is much to show you." said Celebi. Ash seemed hesitant at first, but Celebi assured him it was safe, and he stepped through with the Pokemon following behind him.

As Ash passed through the portal, his room disappeared in a bright light. When the light vanished, Ash found himself at a campsite in the middle of a forest. Looking at his surroundings, Ash saw an identical version of himself and Pikachu sleeping in their sleeping bag on the ground while Brock made breakfast.

"Woah! What is this?" Ash asked, shocked by noticing that there was another Ash.

"Don't worry." said Celebi. "Nobody can see or hear us. This is simply a memory of the past."

"You brought me back in time?"

"Ssh. Watch, remember, and learn."

Everything seemed normal until a scream came from the nearby tent.

"I'd recognize that scream anywhere." said Ash. "That's Dawn!"

Ash watched as his past self woke up from the sound of the scream and ran to the front of the tent. "Dawn, what's wrong?" the Ash of the past said to the voice coming from the tent.

"Don't you dare come in here! My hair's a complete mess and nobody's allowed to see it!" Dawn yelled.

"Dawn, don't sweat it. Come on, that's what hats are for."

"Well, isn't that a typical male response?"

As the Ash from the future looked at the events playing out in front of him, or in this case, "replaying" in front of him, he couldn't help but laugh a little and say, "I remember how Dawn was like this almost every morning that we traveled though Sinnoh. You know, at the time I never really did understand girls that much and why having good-looking hair was so important to them."

"And what do you think now?" asked Celebi.

"Well...I will admit that over time, I came to see that it did make her look very...nice."

"That's what most girls want that special someone to think when they see them looking like that."

"Do you think Dawn did that to impress someone?"

"Yes..." Celebi said, looking over at Ash.

"Wait a minute? You mean ME?" Ash said in disbelief. This moment he was seeing was very early on in their Sinnoh journey. Had Dawn really loved him for that long?

"Do you believe in love at first sight?" asked Celebi. "She didn't believe in it until you came along and helped her and Pikachu fight Team Rocket, remember? Or do I have to show you that memory, too?"

"No, that's fine. How could I forget that?" Ash replied.

"Good. Moving right along, I have more to show you." At Celebi's words, the forest disappeared in a glow and the next thing Ash knew, he was looking at his past self standing in the Oreburgh City gym. Celebi showed Ash his gym battles with Roark, Maylene, and Volkner; each of the times Dawn had dressed up and cheered for him during his gym battles.

"Can't you see all the encouragement she gave you throughout your journey?" Celebi asked.

"Wow, I can't believe I took it all for granted." Ash said in disbelief. "Not even Misty or May went to those lengths. It shows just how much she wanted me to succeed at my dreams."

"Don't forget that you were there for her each step of the way, too." Celebi reminded him.

"That's right." Ash said, remembering. "This really shows that she cares for me a lot...and that I care for her a lot, too. But is that really love?" Ash was still uncertain.

"That's something you have to answer on your own, Ash." Celebi said wisely. "But you are finally starting to recognize and understand your true feelings and emotions. Now it is time to show you the most important memories of them all."

As the next location of Ash's past came into focus, Ash found himself floating in the air inside a dark void. When he looked down, all he could see was darkness, there was no ground. The only buildings left were two towers which were quickly vanishing into nothingness before their eyes. Ash immediately realized where he was.

"This is Alamos Town!" he exclaimed. "The battle between Dialga, Palkia, and Darkrai!"

"Yes, and look over there." Celebi motioned to the staircase.

"That's me and Dawn and our Pokemon. I remember how we worked together to save the town."

Suddenly, the walkway where Ash's past self was standing dissolved. He slipped and fell but Dawn grabbed his hand and tried to pull him back up. But Ash's weight was too much for her to hold and they both fell, all the while holding each other's hand. Luckily, Buizel shot out a Water Gun that pushed them through the air safely onto the side of one of the towers. Dawn finally let go of his hand when she realized they were both safe.

"Do you see?" asked Celebi. "She couldn't pull you back up, but she held onto you anyway. She wouldn't have let go, even though she knew you could both fall. She was willing to sacrifice her life for you."

"Wow..." Ash said in awe, amazed that there could be anybody who would do that for him. His Pokemon would do it perhaps, but her?

"You don't know this, but we Legendary Pokemon have an ancient saying for things like this." said Celebi. "'There is no greater love than to give up one's life for one's friend.' That is the greatest love anyone can give. I think Dawn's just proved that to you right now."

"_The greatest love? Does Dawn really care about me enough to die for me?_" Ash wondered. This was some pretty serious stuff to take in and ponder.

"We need to go, my time grows short." said Celebi.

Ash looked around as Alamos Town disappeared. Now he saw he was in Dawn's room in Twinleaf Town. He saw Dawn lying on her bed crying into her pillow.

"What is this? What's wrong with Dawn?" Ash asked Celebi.

"This was just after you left her and went back to Kanto." the Pokemon answered.

"So I did this to her? This shows how much she didn't want me to leave?" he asked himself. "_If I had known that Dawn was going to miss me this much, I would have never left. I can't believe I've hurt her like this. It hurts me to see my friends hurt, and twice as much so if I was the one responsible for it in the first place._" he said in his mind. "I'm so sorry, Dawn. Please forgive me."

Ash then looked toward Dawn's bedroom door as her mom, Johanna, came in the room.

"Dawn, what's wrong?" Johanna asked her daughter.

"It's Ash, mom. I really wish he didn't have to leave. I...I really like him a lot. And...and I feel like it's my fault that he left." Dawn answered sadly.

"Why do you say that it's your fault?"

"Because there was something that I had to say to him...but I was too scared. If I had said it, maybe he wouldn't have left."

"You were going to tell him that you love him, weren't you? You love him, right?"

"Y-Yes. I...I think so." Dawn reached over and hugged her mom.

"Don't worry, Dawn." Johanna said, embracing her daughter. "I know Ash will come around eventually. He'll realize his true feelings for you. If he could see you right now, I'm sure he would want to be the one holding you."

Johanna had no idea how true her words were ringing at that moment.

As the room vanished, Ash's eyes never left Dawn. When they faded out of sight, he was now back in his room.

"Please, Celebi. Don't show me any more. Why do you keep showing me the mistakes I've made, the signs of love that I've missed, and the missed chances I've had to tell Dawn?" he asked with a heavy heart.

"Good or bad, the past makes you who you are. Even the pain you've caused, the pain you've felt, has good consequences. They've made you stronger; they've guided the course you've taken in your life. You can't go back and fix things, but you CAN do one of two things: either keep running from your past and avoiding your feelings like you've done so far, or you can learn from the past about how to make a better future for you and Dawn." Celebi said encouragingly.

"I've shown you all you need to see for now." Celebi concluded. "You seem to be understanding things better and I hope it leads you to do the right thing. Farewell, Ash Ketchum. The next Pokemon will be here soon." And with that, Celebi vanished.

**Author's Note: So Ash has seen the past and is beginning to understand what it is the Pokemon are trying to teach him. Can you guess which Pokemon he will meet next? And what will he see next?**


	4. The Present

Ash couldn't sleep. All he could do was sit on his bed and think about what he had done to Dawn. "_Dawn, tomorrow I'm going to apologize to you for everything I didn't say._" he thought. He was then interrupted by the voice of another Pokemon.

"Hello, Ash Ketchum." it said. Ash looked up and saw Mesprit, the Pokemon of emotions. Who, ironically enough, was there to help Ash understand his own emotions.

"I can tell from your body language that your journey to the past with Celebi has had quite an impact on you." Mesprit continued. "I think you've seen how Dawn felt about you once before. Now, I am here to show you the present; how she feels about you now today."

"I think that'll have to wait." said Ash. "Dawn's sleeping."

"Yes, she is. But she's have a very vivid dream right now. Come with me and we will go into her mind to see what she's dreaming."

Ash and Mesprit disappeared into thin air. As they reappeared, Ash saw that he was in his own living room. Dawn was talking with May and Misty. Nobody else seemed to be around.

"Don't worry, this is all in Dawn's mind. She can't see you in her dream." Mesprit assured Ash. "Now listen to what the girls have to say."

"Dawn, you've had special feelings for Ash for a long while, haven't you?" May asked.

"Yes, I have. But he told me that he doesn't care about love, and that he never will. He's always more interested in training his Pokemon." she answered.

Ash closed his eyes and looked down in regret as he heard this. Now he knew why Dawn had run out of the room that night after he had said those things. And once again, he had hurt her feelings.

"Maybe...maybe it's best to just give up. Maybe I should just forget it, ignore all my feelings for him. They're only making it more difficult for me to accept the fact he doesn't care for me as anything but a friend." Dawn said sadly.

"Or maybe it's you who has to act." Misty suggested. "Maybe you're the one who has to tell him how YOU feel. And if he doesn't get it, I'll just hit him on the head with my giant hammer until he learns his lesson and accepts you!" At that, the girls shared a laugh. Even Ash laughed a bit, but he was also very scared because he knew that Misty would do something like that!

"But seriously, Dawn. Deep down, I know there's part of Ash that loves you, a part of him that he doesn't even know he has yet." said May.

"He wouldn't be where he is today without you, nor you without him." said Misty. "From the stories about Sinnoh that he and you have told, you've both trained together, learned from each other, and have been closer to him than May or I ever were."

Ash meanwhile, was taking in every word, taking everything to heart, and at last, everything was becoming clear. It seemed that the "part of him he didn't even know he had", as May had put it, was finally starting to be seen. Ash had finally found it. But Dawn's next words cut him short.

"I know...but I'm still not sure if it's worth it." Dawn said uncertainly.

"It looks like Dawn's having second thoughts about how she feels...and again, it's still all my doing." Ash paused for a moment and then asked Mesprit something that had been on his mind. "Mesprit, am I too late to apologize to her? What will happen if she gives up on me?"

Mesprit then made itself and Ash disappear from Dawn's dream and back into his room in the real world. Then it spoke its answer.

"It's better if you see for yourself. It's not my place to show you, but the third and final Pokemon will be here soon. He will be the one who will reveal it all. I must leave now, but as the emotion Pokemon, judging from your emotions, I can tell that you're on the brink of something big and life-changing. I wish you luck in the future...trust me, you'll need it." And with that, Mesprit was gone.

**Author's Note: Things are becoming clearer and clearer for Ash. Who do you think will be the final Pokemon visitor? And what do you think Ash will see in the future?**

**Find out next time in the most riveting and revealing chapter of the story!**


	5. The Future

Mesprit was right. The final Pokemon, the one who would show Ash the future, came only an hour later. That Pokemon was Darkrai, the Pokemon of nightmares.

Ash was confused when he saw Darkrai. Why would a Pokemon that represented such dark fear show him the future? Unless...it represented a nightmarish future, one that he wouldn't like. He knew that Dawn was possibly having second thoughts and may just give up on him because of what he had done, but the future couldn't be all that bad...could it?

"It is time for you to see the future, Ash. Time to see the consequences of your actions." Darkrai said in a deep, low voice. And before Ash could reply, everything went pitch black.

When everything came back into focus, he found himself standing in the middle of a snowy cemetery. The frigid cold winds blew across the graveyard, making him shiver.

"Why am I here in a cemetery? How is this my future?" Ash asked. Suddenly, a realization hit him and in a nervous voice, he asked, "Wait, will I...will I die?"

Darkrai didn't answer his question and simply said, "Follow me."

Darkrai led Ash through the graveyard and stopped by a grave up on a hill. It was dark, so Ash couldn't see the words on the headstone. "Whose...whose grave is this?" he asked in a trembling voice.

As the clouds in the sky that were covering the moon moved away, the moonlight illuminated the headstone and the inscription came into view. Ash looked at it, afraid, expecting to see his name there.

But it wasn't his name...it was _hers_! He noticed that the year of her death was ten years from the present year.

Ash couldn't believe his eyes. He collapsed onto his hands and knees and said, "No. No, no, nonono! NNNNNNOOOOOO!" This couldn't be right, this couldn't be her grave!

Ash repeatedly punched his fist into the snow. His heart was pounding so much, that he could hear it in his ears. Tears rolled down his face and his breathing was so fast, that he was gasping for air. Never before in his life had he felt such anguish, loneliness, helplessness. Nothing in the world could hurt him more than how much he was hurting right at that moment.

He looked up at Darkrai and yelled, "Why did this happen? WHY DID SHE DIE?"

"You broke her heart by refusing to recognize your feelings." the Dark-Type Pokemon answered. "She tried to move on with her life and even got married to someone else. But she was so unhappy being with him. Add that to her broken heart she had, and she gave up on love... and she took her own life."

Darkrai then disappeared into the darkness. He just left Ash there alone. Just him and his own misery. Ash knew at last what Darkrai was saying to him. It was he who had been the cause of her death. He could never live with himself knowing that he had been the cause of her demise.

"WAIT!" Ash called out into the emptiness of the night, "Tell me, is this the definite future, or only just a possible one? What if I change? If I tell her how I feel, will this still come to pass? Gengar told me that I would be given a chance to change my ways! Why would this happen if I changed my ways? It wouldn't end like THIS, right?" Ash was feeling overwhelmingly distraught. His cries and his questions received no reply as they echoed out into the stillness surrounding him.

Suddenly, everything Ash had seen, felt, remembered, and experienced throughout the night finally all made sense! He finally understood the true meaning of love, and finally realized his feelings for her. All at once, the pieces came together and Ash had what is, the equivalent of an epiphany.

Again, Ash called out into the night saying, "Please, answer my questions! I understand now! I'm not the same person I used to be! I know what it means to love someone, and to have them love me, too! I know that she's the most important thing in the world to me! I love Dawn Berlitz! I do, I truly do! Tell me, if I tell her how I feel, will this still happen?"

When Ash still got no reply, he cursed and punched the ground again as tears still flowed down his face. Down on his hands and knees, he felt his body start to go numb as exhaustion took over. He began to feel weak and darkness started to overcome his vision, it felt as if death itself was trying to take him. Maybe by realizing his feelings, death had decided to take him instead of Dawn. If that was the case, he would willingly give up his life in exchange for hers so that she could live on.

Yes, he loved her that much. At that moment, Celebi's words finally made sense to him. "_'There is no greater love than to give up one's life for one's friend.' I now see what Celebi meant by that._" Ash said in his mind."_Dawn, I do this for you...I love you...and goodbye._"

And with those final thoughts, The darkness finally overtook Ash and he closed his eyes and collapsed to the ground; but a smile was spread across his face. He was content, seeing that had died finally understanding the truth about what love was, and that he had died for Dawn, his one true love.

**Author's Note: The End...or is it? Did Ash really die? Find out in the conclusion, coming tomorrow.**


	6. Valentine's Day

The sun rose into the sky above the snowy town of Pallet, painting the ground orange. The sun's light shone through the window of the Ketchum house and onto the face of Ash Ketchum. As the light touched his face, he stirred and opened his eyes.

"What? What happened? Where am I? Am I dead?" he asked aloud. But as things came into focus, Ash saw that he was back in his own bed in his own room.

"I'm home?...I'm home! I'm alive!" he cried out. Ash looked down at the bruise he had gotten on his leg that night, and when he felt it tense up when he touched it, then he was sure that he was 100% alive. It also made him see that everything he had seen throughout the night had really happened, it wasn't just a dream!

Ash then looked at the calender on his wall and realized, "It's Valentine's Day! I haven't missed it! The Pokemon gave me another chance after all! Oh Dawn, just you wait and see, things will be different now!" And Ash knew just what he needed to do.

He got up, showered, and got dressed in his Sinnoh clothes. He asked Pikachu to stay behind because he had to go somewhere. As he passed the guest room door, he was relieved to see that it was still closed, meaning that Dawn was still in bed. Ash went to meet his mom in the kitchen, who was cooking breakfast. He gave her a hug, wished her a Happy Valentine's Day, and told her he would be back later. So he grabbed his coat, put on his sneakers, and went outside.

"_Wow, he seems to be in such a good mood today. I didn't think Ash was the kind of person who liked Valentine's Day. I wonder what's changed his mind?_" Delia thought.

Ash walked through the cold morning air as the snow crunched under his feet. He made his way to the flower shop in town. As he entered, he noticed the woman behind the front counter was reading a magazine. Ash guessed that she wasn't expecting customers this early in the morning, and she obviously didn't hear him enter the store.

Ash walked up to the counter and said, "Hi, can I get a dozen red roses, please?"

His voice made her look up and she noticed him. "Oh hi, Ash. I didn't know it was you." she said, as she went to get Ash his roses. A few minutes later, she came back. "Here you go." she said, handing the bouquet to Ash.

"How much is it?" Ash asked.

"That'll be $18."

"Here you go, keep the change." Ash said, handing out some money.

"You're my favorite customer." she said with a smile.

"Thanks a lot. Bye." Ash said as he left.

After stopping to pick up two Valentine's Day cards, he headed over to the Prof. Oak's Pokemon Lab.

He knocked on the door and heard Gary's voice say, "I'll get it!"

As Gary opened the door and noticed Ash, he was about to ask why he was here, when Ash simply handed him two greeting card envelopes, told him to hand them out to the girls, and then he ran off back towards his house, which left Gary feeling very confused. Gary closed the door and walked into the living room where Misty, May, and Tracey were eating breakfast.

They noticed the strange look on Gary's face and Misty asked, "Who was that at the door?"

"It was Ash, and he gave me these cards to give to...you and May." he said, noticing the names on the envelopes.

The two girls took their envelopes and opened them to reveal Valentine's Day cards. They opened them and read them aloud, for each card had the same inscription from Ash.

"Happy Valentine's Day to a very special friend. Thank you for always being there for me. Love, Ash."

"But Ash said he doesn't care about Valentine's Day. He made that very clear to us last night." said Tracey in disbelief.

"Something's changed in him. I could see it on his face when I talked to him at the door. He seemed so happy, so excited." said Gary. "He's different now. It's so strange."

"So all he did was just give you the cards to give to us and then he left?" asked Misty.

"Yeah, and it looked like he was in a hurry. I guess it had something to do with that bouquet of roses he had with him."

"Well, if I know Ash, I think I have a pretty good idea of who those are for." said May.

* * *

><p>Ash walked back into his house, threw off his coat and sneakers, and walked up the stairs. As he looked into the guest room, he saw that Dawn was sitting in front of the mirror and had just finished brushing her hair. But before she could put in her yellow buckles, and put on her hat and scarf, Ash walked in and put the roses on the bed.<p>

Dawn stood up in surprise since she had not heard Ash enter the room. Normally, she wouldn't want anyone to see her in the morning, but since she was dressed and had her hair brushed to perfection, she wasn't worried.

She looked at the roses on the bed and then at Ash who had a caring smile on his face. Ash then walked over to her, wrapped his arms around her, put his lips to hers, and kissed her passionately. Dawn's eyes widened with shock. She couldn't believe what he was doing! Ash Ketchum, the young man whom she had loved for quite a long time was holding her and kissing her! It almost seemed too good to be true. Dawn wrapped her arms around Ash and kissed him back; she had been waiting for this for a long time.

When their lips finally parted, Ash looked into her blue eyes and said in a soft voice, "I love you, Dawn. More than anything in the world."

Dawn had a confused look on her face as she stared at the eighteen year old boy. "But...I thought you didn't care about love."

"Well, things changed. I understand everything now."

"How did you change overnight? This is so fast!"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. You have no idea about what I went through to realize how much I love you." he said, kissing her again.

Dawn smiled at Ash and replied, "And I love you, too. You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear you say that."

"Oh, I think I do." Ash said with an all-knowing smile, remembering the things he had seen during the night. "Dawn, I have something to ask you. Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Of course I will, Ash." she replied with another kiss.

Ash then walked over and picked up the roses, handing them to his new girlfriend. "These are for you. Happy Valentine's Day, Dawn."

"Thank you so much! And Happy Valentine's Day to you, too." she replied taking the flowers in her arms. "And God bless us."

"Yes," Ash said in agreement, putting his arm around her, "God bless us, everyone!"

**The End**

**Author's Note: Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I love each of you for reading my story and taking the time to review! Please let me know what you thought of my story! Have any requests for what I should write next?**

**Lastly, I dedicate this story to the world's biggest pearlshipper: my girlfriend! xoxo**


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